The present invention relates to garments, and to the process of promoting bonding between parent and child by providing the child with a garment having the parent's scent. Specifically, the invention is a garment, capable of absorbing bodily scents, convertible into an infant's blanket. The invention is also an improved, more hygienic process of absorbing the parent's scent and placing it before the child.
Garments which convert from one use to another by detaching various portions have been invented before, but have primarily been used for purposes of either fashion or reducing the need to carry other garments. One example is U.S. Pat. No. 2,670,470, which issued to Karl Manheim and Eyn Ayala, disclosing a coat with a detachable lower section which could be used as a sleeping bag, and which had a detachable, inflatable collar. Its purpose is to provide soldiers with a single multi-purpose garment to replace several different items the soldier would otherwise have to carry. Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,131, issued to Sidney M. Shuster disclosing a shirt with removable sleeves, was intended primarily to accommodate a 1950's fashion trend. Verne L. Stephenson disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,720,654 a blanket which could be converted into a cape or bag. U.S. Pat. No. 2,911,648, issued to Maria Schanda-Seyferth, discloses another coat which converts to a blanket. None of these patents discloses the use of scent-absorbing materials in a garment convertible to an infant's blanket in order to promote bonding between a parent and child.
An example of a convertible garment relating to infant care is disclosed by Sydelle S. Shapiro in U.S. Pat. No. 2,879,514. The garment is an apron for protecting the wearer's clothing while bathing an infant, which then coverts to a towel for drying the infant.
Some patents have been issued for inventions designed to improve bonding between parents and infants. One example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,776,546, issued to Alfred L. and Amy Goldson, discloses a bib holding an infant's bottle in a mammary-like pouch. The patent claims that it improves bonding between the father and child by anatomically simulating the mother. The second is U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,285, issued to Jennelle N. and Gregory A. Troncone, disclosing a blanket made from two layers of fabric, joined only along the edges, with a low coefficient of friction between them, intended to simulate the feeling of amniotic fluid. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,711, issued to Gabrielle J. Dorland, discloses a garment with removable pads made from scent-absorbing material, which is first worn by the mother, then attached to the infant's bed or other location, so that the infant continues to smell the scent of its mother.
Unlike the current invention, the Dorland invention suffers from the disadvantage of possible contamination of fabric by excreted bodily fluids. Dorland teaches that the scent-absorbing material should be placed over the mother's breasts. Her reasoning is based on research showing that the mother's scent is stronger in this location, and that the scent is used to draw the baby's head towards the breast for feeding. However, placing the scent-absorbing material directly over the breasts creates a risk that the material would absorb leakage from the breasts. If such material were given to the infant, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,711 is correct about infants bringing their head towards the scent of the breasts, the baby would be likely to start sucking on the contaminated material.
To avoid fluid contamination, the present invention uses a garment made from the scent-absorbing material placed away from any location where fluid discharges can occur. The garment itself then coverts into a blanket for the infant. The blanket avoids the time-consuming task of attaching the scent-absorbing material to a bed. It also allows the infant to be wrapped in the blanket before separation from the mother, rather than forcing the baby to wait. The infant need not be in a bed, swing, or other fixed location in other to smell its mother, but may be wrapped in the blanket while being held by another person. Most importantly, such a blanket could be used in a delivery room without fear of fluid contamination before the baby is removed so the mother can rest. No hospital is likely to allow anything, including the prior art, to be given to a patient if there is a risk of contamination by bodily fluids.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
The invention is a portion of an adult garment which is capable of absorbing the scent of the adult wearer and then being converted to an infant's blanket to promote bonding between the wearer and the infant, and to provide the infant with a feeling of security derived from the scent of a familiar person. The invention is also an improved process for creating a bond between parent and child.
The garment in the preferred embodiment is a shirt or sweater made from a material which is capable of absorbing bodily scents. The shirt comprises a torso portion, and two detachable sleeves secured to the torso portion by hook and loop fasteners. In the preferred embodiment, at least one of the sleeves includes a lengthwise seam fastened with hook and loop fasteners, so that separating the seam forms a blanket. The sleeve also includes a cuff which is folded back and held in place by hook and loop fasteners while worn as a shirt. When the sleeve is made into a blanket, it can be extended to form a hood.
Instead of using the sleeve to form a blanket, the shirt can be constructed so that the torso portion can be used. As before, the sleeves are fastened to the torso portion using hook and loop fasteners, and are detached prior to converting the shirt to a blanket. In this embodiment, the torso portion includes a front and back panel joined along the sides by hook and loop fasteners. The front and back panels are separated, and either the front or back can be used as a blanket. The back panel can include a hood for the infant's head.
As an alternative to hook and loop fasteners, snaps may be used.
In use, the shirt is first washed in the normal detergent used for the baby's clothes. It is then worn by the person with whom bonding is desired, usually the mother, immediately after showering, for a period of time sufficient to absorb the person's scent. If the torso portion of the shirt is used to form the blanket, and the wearer is pregnant, an undergarment should be worn while wearing the shirt to prevent the shirt's contamination by leakage from the wearer's breasts. The sleeves of the shirt are then detached. Either the sleeve or torso portion of the shirt is then separated along its seam to form a blanket, as described above. After the smell has worn off the blanket, the garment is washed, and can be re-used.
Garments other than a shirt could certainly be similarly adapted. Whatever garment is used, the detachable blanket portion is formed of the portion of the garment which avoids placement directly against any portion of the adult body likely to discharge fluid.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved process for creating a bond between a parent and child by allowing the child to smell the parent's scent when the parent is away. It is another object of the invention to provide a feeling of security for the infant by ensuring that it can smell a familiar person.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a garment which will absorb the parent's scent without the risk of absorbing bodily fluids which may be unhealthy for the child, so that the garment will be allowed into a hospital delivery room.
Still another object of the invention is to provide the above garment in a form which can be converted to a blanket, avoiding the necessity of attaching it to a fixed location, allowing for easy portability, allowing the infant to smell the scent while being held by another person.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in an apparatus for the purposes described which is inexpensive, dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purpose.
These and other objects of the present invention will become readily apparent upon further review of the following specification.